I played a game using Tabletop simulator against Norto. He took chaos marines and I took tyranids.

We were trying out some of the changes suggested in the NDC process.

Tyranids
Ignore one brood kill, for combat resolution purposes, in assaults per point of synapse in the formation.
4 lictors for the same price.
Reduce Broodlord to +25 points, remove extra attack
Trygons to +50 points as Tyranid Swarm extra.
Trygons 4 four units for 250 points
Weapon options for the hierodule
Hiero* at -50 points

Chaos tested the deamonic changes
Flamers at 1x 3+FF
beasts at 5+ save (I think)

We did not try "Genestealer swarm to 8 units base, +15 for extra" as that seemed excessive to both of us.



Norto took



Deployment like this



Ch1.1 Chaos won initiative and started with chosen summoning and assulting my genestealers which were wiped.

T1.1 3Carnifex swarm marched up to take the genestealers forrest



Ch1.2: Space ship activated. Nothing from the bombardment, but the pinpoint took two DC of my dom. Which now had 3 BM.

Ch1.3 retain with the podding chosen. They assaulted my biovore with the help of 2 flamers. It took them two rounds to kill the biovores loosing both deamons in the process. But giving my dom and my 2carnifex swarm 1 BM each for supporting. Getting the dom swarm to 4 BMs supressing her



T1.2 2Carnifex swarm assaulted them. I lost two gaunts. This saw me at +4, without the ignore kill for synapse I'd been at +2. So it made the resolution roll a lot safer for me.

Ch1.4: Fighters ground attacked my unupgrades swarm for 3 kills (one warrior unit). 2BM.

T1.3: Said swarm marshalled and moved forward.

Ch1.5 Deathw2 doubled and shot 3carni swarm for 1BM.

T1.4 Harridian dobuled to houses and shot something. Deathwheel?

Ch1.6: Retinue2 doubled next to deathw2 and shot carnifexe swarm for kill one carnifex for 2BM.

T1.5: Dom swarm marched up to the city. Couldn't shoot on a double with her being supressed.

Ch1.7: Deathw1 doubled over to other flank of 3carnifexes shooting them for 1BM.

T1.6: Hierodule doubled up shot reintue2 getting deathw2 as well under the blast template. Two hits but no kills. one BM each.

Ch1.8: Bikes summon beasts and assaults my 3carnifex swarm (stupid misstake on my part, didn't think about their 50cm range on assault), which were no kind of surrounded.



The tyranids only managed to kill one beast. Loosing everything not fearless. They fled down towards the left lower corner of the forrest. While the

T1.7: Malefactor swarm doubled up shooting the chosen formation for 1 or 2 hits. No kills. 1 BM.

Ch1.9: Supreme retinue advanced up and shot something I can't remember.

Ch1.10 Retinue1 marched into the forrest.

Everything rallied in the end phase. Next turn looks like it'll be a slaugther-fest and assault mania.

Turn 2

Ch2.1 Retinue assaults Dominatrix and firends. Norto critically forgot to summon deamons. The Dom lost one DC so down to two DC. Chaos wins +2 (would have been +4 or +5 without synapse-ignore) but I won the roll-off.

Ch2.2 Retinue in forrest assaults the Dom as well. They remember to summon and gets 3 flamers. The trygon dies and the Dom takes another DC, but no crit. During the two rounds she saved 14 out of 16 hits. So one DC left. The retinue wins. dom retreats.



Tyr2.1 Hierodule assaults Deathwheel. All TK attacks hit and the Deathwheel goes down before support.

Tyr2.2 Malfactor swarm retains and assaults intermingled bikes and chosen. I win +2(+0synapse), but it goes to second round and I start to loose a lot of units. Resolution swings to -1(-3). However I win the roll.



Ch2.3 Deathwheel2 assaults intermingled trygons and what's left of the rallied carnifex swarm. They have support from forrest retinue. Some rather bad rolling on Nortos part and I made 7 5+ RA saves sees me loosing nothing. I win the combat. And the deathwheel retreats without it's shields.

Ch2.4? I think I missed an activation here. Something might have done something.

Tyr2.3 Small swarm doubles up and puts a BM on the retinue in the forrest.

Tyr2.4 Trygons retain and assault the retinue.



Ch2.5 SC retinue in the backfield goes on OW.



Tyr2.5 Started moving warms up

Ch2.6 Airplanes goes after Dom to try and take the last DC, they hit twice but she saves.

Tyr.2.6+ Rest of my stuff moves up at the double or march. Harridian shot the first retinue that assaulted the dom for some hack down kills.

Everythin rallies in the endphase.

Turn 3

Start of turn picture



Ch3.1 Deathwheel marshalls fails, marshalls and moves back towards chaos blitz.

Tyr3.1 Hiero doubles and shoot SC retinue in the forrest. 1 kill 2BM.

Tyr3.2 Retain with lictors. Fail but make the reroll. I assault SC retinue in the hope of killing the SC with sniper. Didn't think I'd win even though I had support. I end my move in the forrest so can claim cover for the overwatchfire. Norto got two hits though, so I broke before the engagement could take place.



Ch3.2 Retinue that fled after loosing to the Dom tried to activate but fail going to 3 BM (four units left). They regroup but roll a double one. So still 2 BMs.

Tyr3.3 Carnifex swarm on my right assaults that retinue. They are wiped out for no looses. Chosen behind gets a BM for supporting (1BM from breaking)

Tyr3.4 Small swarm doubles up and puts a BM on the chosen breaking them.

Ch3.3 Bikes march to a forrest on my half of the field. Lossing one unit to terrain.

Tyr3.5 Trygons fail and regroups (1MB from breaking). Was gonna claim both objectives on my half close to them to try and get defend the flag objective. Had to regroup so the airplanes couldn't autobreak them.

Ch3.5 I didn't need to worry however for the airplanes stands down.

Tyr3.6 Carnifex swarms doubles and puts a BM on SC retinue.

Tyr3.7 Harridian assaults SC retinue in FF. It kills nothing and is hit 5 times. I only make 2 saves so dies. None of my formations around gets to support.

Tyr3.8 Dom tries to sustain on bikes in forrest. Fails. I take the BM and shoot them as apparently the energy pulse doesn't have any fire arc.

Everything rallies except hierodule and broken chosen. Bikes are in my half so neither of us has any objectives.

Turn 4

Ch4.1 Deathwheel assaults malefactor swarm. The warrior is killed and the swarm is wipedafter resolution. The wheel looses both shields but take no damage.



Ch4.2 BTS retinue marshalls and moves back needing the SC reroll to do so.

Tyr4.1 Dom sustains on bikes in forrest killing one breaking the lone survivior.



Ch4.3 Airplanes again stands down.

Tyr4.2+ I moved up more swarms surrounding the wheel and retinue putting BMs on them, but not killing anything

I assaulted with the hierodule and gets two reulgar hits and the two TK(1) hits. The wheel saves the regular hits. The wheel also takes both TK hits and I luckily crit it. 5 hits and 1 macro back are all saved. Support killed a few marines and the everything dies in resolution except for the fearless obliterators.



Trygons moves and claims both my defensive objectives. The Dom had claimed the blitz (by swarming units closer towards it).

My last activation are the two rallied lictors. They assault the broken obliterator to try and claim BTS. They can't reach CC and my support hits are saved. However chaos can't catch a break and the obliterator misses it's 2+ FF. Even worse for chaos we roll equal and it goes to a second round. My Lictors can now get into CC. Both hit and only one is saved.



The bikes in my half rallies which ends the game in a 4 - 0 victory for the tyranids (BTS, T&H, Blitz adnd DtF).

End of game pic

Some thought after the game. I like how the synapse-ignore/grots kills works. It really does change how I play the swarms and makes it easier to be agreesive with gaunts and gants. Makes the army a nice bit tuffer, but not overly so in my view as for instance the UK rule does. We had at least 2 or 3 pretty close assaults so it did have a real effect ok the game.

The dice was a factor in this game. Norto rolled horribly a few times and my RA saves were on fire throughout the game with the exception of the malfactors, who just rolled over.

I think the allmost autorallying is bad especially when swarming is done after rallying. I think swarming should be moved to before. Or preferably make rallying a +1 bonus instead.

Hierodule at reduced price and choice of weapons is to much I think. The weapons change I like, but maybe keep the price or just lower it 25 pts.

The lictors and trygon number/points changes I like and I think they’re a reasonable inclusion. We didn't use the +50 points for trygons as upgrades. That just seems to good. Why would you ever take carnifexes again?

That really looks quite something ! I'm impressed. Didn't realise that tabletop simulators looked that good.

Thoughts on the game, trash was a trash game with trash dice haha.



Actual thoughts on the game

Flamers at 3+ are still great. Was still trying to summon them.

Blades arnt really a great test with no enemy aircraft around. 30cm was handy avoiding enemy flak though.

Trygons added to a formation for 50 points i think is fine, same as carnifexes yes but you cant ignore the carnifexes when shooting and take down the hive tyrant like you can with trygons being war engines. (i am playing this right yeah?)

The ignore the kills for the amount of synapse really shined in this game and felt crazy good to be coming up against. Not sure if equal numbers of nids should be able to take on close to equal number chaos marines in a FF. Could have just been the terrible dice on my part.

Broodlords at 25 points seams fine.

Hierodule with optinal weapons was cool. it should wreck face being 4 DC no shields 25cm move. Not sure if the 50 points drop as well though.

Lictors are cool. No real comment. low strat army so its either break them or leave them.

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I have 4 laptops in this room and cannot play a pixel pushing tabletop simulator on any of them.

The changes to assault resolution made a huge difference to the game.

That last assault with the BTS could barely have gone worse for chaos, second round what a nightmare.

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